With a Little Help from my Friends
by Wild Force Ranger
Summary: Based on one of the Five Places Lauren didn't Hide. Lauren returns to Panorama City with her new team.


"No, Casey."

"Why not?"

"I've already explained."

"And I refuse to accept your explanation."

Lauren rolled her eyes, stepping around him to put a couple of tops into her bag. "No, Casey. No Pai Zhua honour guard; no Ranger honour guard; not even just you and Jarrod and Camille. I appreciate it, but no."

Casey leaned on her bag, catching her eye. "_Why_?"

"Because it's my brother's team. Because they don't know anything about me. Because I can't be their leader if I'm hiding behind other people."

Casey scowled, but she knew he understood. "I don't like it, Lauren."

"I know. I appreciate it. But you know I can't, Casey."

"Just me?"

Lauren smiled. "I'm not bringing another Red Ranger along, there'll be enough of us."

"Not bringing another Red?"

She spotted the trap just too late. "Casey..."

"But another colour?" he said over her.

"No, Casey..."

"Good. RJ!"

Lauren let him argue her around. Honestly, if she had to bring someone, RJ was probably the best, and she hadn't really expected to get away without having to bring someone. At least she'd been able to argue Casey down from his full Pai Zhua class idea. She wasn't sure she'd want to face Ji if she brought twenty members of the Order of the Claw with her.

RJ was a surprisingly good travelling companion, managing to keep her from feeling nervous without her noticing. They paused when they reached Panorama City to eat, and he waited patiently while she dragged her heels.

Her morpher chirped and she looked down at it in surprise. "It's never done that before," she noted, drawing it from her pocket and examining it. Before she could talk herself out of it, she dug her phone out, dialling a number she knew as well as her own name.

She hung up after a moment, gathering her things. "They're fighting outside the city," she said, and she didn't quite recognise her own voice. RJ didn't question her, just followed at a run.

The Rangers were in their zords before Lauren and RJ reached the fight, but the Lion was obviously missing. Lauren refused to consider the reasons, just kept going, dropping her bag at some point when it got in her way. She'd never been here before, shouldn't have known her way, but she didn't hesitate once, led by some sense she couldn't define.

Whatever she was following led her to the ruins of a temple in the forest. Jayden was sprawled awkwardly at the base of a pillar, semi-conscious; she dropped to her knees beside him, reaching to touch him and then hesitating. "Jayden."

He smiled vaguely, clearly aware of her, and lapsed into unconsciousness; RJ caught him as he started to tilt, resettling him.

"Uncle RJ?" Lauren asked.

"I've got him. Go help your team. We'll be here."

Fiera was quick, and strong, and Lauren could see why she'd given the Rangers so much trouble. But whatever weapon she'd used against Jayden that was so effective, she didn't use it as Lauren took the Lion Zord to battle. Lauren wasn't inclined to experiment, not now. Fast and brutal took care of Fiera, and then Lauren could turn back to what was really important - her brother and his team.

His team had made it back first; RJ had vanished, somewhere, and she didn't blame him. Kevin and - Oh, she knew his name; Antonio, that was it - had an arm each around Jayden, but she didn't like the way he was hanging between him.

She stepped out of the shadows, pausing for a moment before demorphing. The Rangers reacted immediately, drawing in around Jayden and yelling demands to know who she was.

"She's my big sister," Jayden said tiredly. "Lauren."

The others protested, but she ignored them, eyes locked on Jayden. He smiled at her, but he looked terrible.

"Where is he?" he asked softly.

Lauren shook her head, looking at Kevin. "We need to get him back to the House."

"Where have you been?" Antonio demanded.

"Later. Please. Can you get him there? I'll meet you."

Antonio and Mike both started to protest, but Mia cut them off. "Let's bring Jayden home. We can figure out the rest of it later. Lauren, do you need help?"

"No. Thank you. I won't be far behind you."

She found RJ on the way back through the forest; he was carrying her bag, and she took it from him with a nod. "Is my brother all right?"

"I think we got to him in time," RJ said, unusually solemn.

"Thank you."

"Ah. What's a little first aid between friends."

Ji was waiting at the gate; he glanced at RJ before turning to Lauren. "Jayden is asking for you."

"How is he?"

"The Nighlok used fire flashers. Jayden will recover, but he needs to rest, and he won't until he's seen you."

Lauren nodded absently, turning to RJ. "Uncle RJ, this is Mentor Ji. Ji, my Master RJ."

Ji bowed his head. "Welcome. And thank you."

"Ah, no sweat," RJ said cheerfully.

"Ji, what have you told the Rangers?" Lauren asked quickly.

"Nothing, yet. We've been occupied with Jayden."

"Will you tell them?"

"If that's what you want."

She nodded, glancing at RJ again. "Come and meet Jayden, Uncle RJ."

"I suppose I should get to know my nephew," he agreed easily. Lauren smiled, turning to lead him inside. Emily was in the hall, but she made no move to stop them, just watched as they entered the infirmary.

Jayden was resting, tired and clearly worn out. RJ touched Lauren's arm, pausing her by the door. "Fire flashers?" he murmured.

"The Nighlok created them to use against the Shiba House. They use our own fire power to burn us up, inside to out. Two fold injury; the burn, and the power drain."

"Ingenious." He caught her look and shrugged. "No harm in recognising craftsmanship."

"If Jayden was who the Nighlok think - thought - he is, he'd be dead," she said flatly. "One shot from those on me would kill me."

"Deadly, but still ingenious."

She made a face at him, moving to sit on the bed. Jayden shifted, waking, and she leaned forward on instinct, touching his cheek. "Jayden."

"Lauren." He looked past her, frowning, and pulled himself up to sit.

Lauren glanced over her shoulder. "Uncle RJ? Come meet Jayden." She turned back to Jayden, smiling. "Do you know where I was, Jayden?"

"No. Ji would never tell me. He said it was safer if I didn't know."

"He's probably right. I was studying with the masters of the Order of the Claw."

Jayden blinked. "The Pai Zhua academy?"

"Not the academy; there are several masters who don't live there. I've been in Ocean Bluff with RJ for about five years."

Jayden dipped his head towards RJ. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Your sister makes a mean pizza."

Lauren smiled at his look. "RJ runs a pizza shop in Ocean Bluff."

"And you worked there?"

"Teamwork," she said vaguely, touching his cheek again. "Jayden, you're warm."

"Fire flashers," he agreed.

"Uncle RJ, could you please ask one of the others for some green tea?"

RJ slipped out of the room and Jayden hitched himself up slightly in the bed. "Uncle."

Lauren smiled faintly, busying herself with the cloth and bowl on the table. "He doesn't like being called Master. RJ's not - typical." Jayden nodded slowly, and she added, "I'd like for you to get to know him, once this is over."

"I'd like that," he agreed.

RJ followed the sound of voices and found the Rangers sitting around an open area. Kevin was speaking, but he broke off when he noticed RJ.

"Don't stop on my account," RJ said easily, pausing in the hall. "Lauren sent me to ask for green tea."

"She's definitely a Shiba," Mia said with a smile. "I'll get it for you."

"Who are you, anyway?" Kevin demanded.

"RJ."

"He is Lauren's Master," Ji filled in.

"Master," Mike repeated, eyes narrowed.

"An affectation of my order. Lauren's been in my care for about five years." He smiled. "She calls me uncle."

Emily smiled, pushing to her feet. "Well, any adopted uncle of Jayden's sister is welcome here. I'm Emily."

"I know," RJ agreed.

Ji stirred. "RJ has known who you all are for some time."

"Lauren knows your names and colours, but that's all," RJ added.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"Because I didn't want her to walk into this team without knowing anything about you," he said. "She was nervous enough about it." He studied them for a moment. "Lauren doesn't mean to take away from anything you have here," he told them. "This wasn't her plan, but she's worked hard for it all her life. Let her show you what she can do."

"Of course we will," Emily said quickly. The boys were slower to answer, but Mike nodded, and Kevin at least looked like he was willing to stop fighting.

Mia reappeared, carrying a tray. "I'll take it in," she said with a smile when RJ reached for it. "You relax a little."

"Thanks." He grinned at her, stepping up into the room and sinking into lotus on the floor at the base of the table.

"So who are you?" Antonio asked.

RJ shook his sleeve up. "I'm a master in the Order of the Claw. Lauren's been travelling master to master since she left here, and about five years ago she came to me." He glanced at Ji. "She's a good student."

"I had every faith," Ji murmured.

Mia reappeared, sliding onto her seat, and noticed RJ's master's mark. "Oh, that's...wait, I know this. Pai Zhua, right?"

"Give the little lady a prize," RJ agreed.

"Which technique?"

"Wolf. You're well informed."

"Really," Mike agreed suspiciously.

Mia smiled. "It's in the histories, Mike. Pai Zhua and the Samurai families have been allies, occasionally."

"Not for a long time," RJ murmured.

"Right now," Emily disagreed. "You've been protecting Lauren, haven't you?"

"Got to protect my best chef," he agreed with a grin.

Lauren came out of the infirmary, stalking up to the table; RJ flowed to his feet to stand at her shoulder.

"He thinks he's leaving," she announced to Ji. The Rangers protested, but she didn't look away. "Did you know about this?"

"No," Ji said quietly.

Antonio shouted down the others, turning to Lauren. "Why?"

She glanced around the group. "He thinks that he needs to be gone in order for you to follow me in the field. I think you can manage to remember which of us is which. I don't want him to leave, and I don't think you want him to either."

"Did you know?" Antonio demanded, looking at Ji.

"No. This is not something he's ever discussed with me. The plan was always for them to work together."

Antonio looked back at Lauren. "Are you going to let him go?"

"I can't stop him, Antonio. But he knows I don't want him to go. Maybe you all should tell him, too."

"He knows how we feel," Mia protested.

"He knows, but he might need to hear it anyway."

"What do you know about how Jayden feels?" Mike challenged her.

"I don't know anything about Jayden," Lauren said quietly. "But I know what it's like to feel as though you don't belong in the place you live." RJ shifted slightly, but she didn't look at him.

"We'll talk to him," Mia promised.

"Thank you." She turned to Ji. "Mentor, I know you weren't expecting RJ, but..."

"If there's one thing we have in this house, it's spare room," he said with a faint smile. "Come with me, both of you, and I'll get you set up. Everyone else, head for bed. It's been a long day."

"Can we talk to Jayden first?" Emily asked hopefully.

Ji sighed. "You can go and say goodnight. Do not wear him out."

Emily grinned. "Thank you, Ji."

"Go on, now. This way, you two."

* * *

Lauren sat, staring at the stars.

She'd been alone for some time, and she wasn't sure who to thank for that. Jayden was proving surprisingly insightful where she was concerned; RJ knew her personality; Mentor would guess how she was feeling. Any or all of them would keep the others from interrupting her.

Someone came from the house, noiseless until they were close, and she smiled faintly, still watching the sky. "I don't know how Casey did it."

RJ folded himself onto the bench beside her. "How he did what?"

"He's the same age as me, did you know? To within a few months. And five years ago, he walked into a team he knew nothing about, with no training, no background, none of the things I have. And he led them to victory. How did he do it?"

RJ considered for a long time. "Casey's demons were not the same as yours," he said finally. "In both the literal and metaphorical sense. Dai Shi carried some of Jarrod's anger towards Casey, but not enough to make it as personal as Xandred's hate for you. In that way his fight was easier. His team, like yours, knew each other before they knew him. But he stepped up, and you will too."

Lauren laughed softly. "I've already failed, Uncle RJ. My father's plan, twelve years away from home, away from Jayden, twelve years of pushing myself and working just that little bit harder, being just that little bit better - it's all gone."

"You are still the Shiba Red, eighteenth head of this great house. Your ancestors didn't Seal Xandred either, but each of them beat him back. Losing the Seal is bad, but it's not the end of the world. It's never the end of the world until you lie down and stop fighting."

"I thought inspirational speeches were the Red's job."

"Well, we weren't exactly a conventional team."

"No, you weren't," she agreed.

RJ bounced on the bench, turning sideways so he could look back towards the house. "Nothing like this team, anyway."

Lauren wasn't surprised when Jayden came around the end of the bench, or when Antonio wandered past and stopped just out of hearing range. Today had been as hard on Jayden as it had been on her, and she was glad to see his friend sticking so close to him.

Jayden sat carefully on her other side, looking past her at RJ. "You were a Ranger."

"I was," RJ agreed easily.

"Ocean Bluff's Rangers were Jungle Fury."

"Yep."

"And you weren't Red."

"Nope."

Jayden looked pleadingly at Lauren, who smiled faintly. "RJ was the Wolf Ranger, the fourth to join the team, but he was their mentor from the start. They were already fighting when I came to him, but he wasn't."

Jayden frowned. "You were hiding with an active Ranger team?"

"Dai Shi wasn't looking for me," she pointed out. "But he destroyed the Order, almost completely. There was nowhere else for me to go. RJ and Casey made sure I was never near any of the fighting. I was safe."

"Ish, anyway," RJ murmured.

"You're not helping, Uncle RJ," Lauren told him.

"Hey, I'm just here because otherwise Casey would have turned out his class and sent them all along."

"Yeah, thanks," Lauren murmured. Catching Jayden's look, she told him, "He wanted me to bring the whole team."

"Why didn't you?"

She touched his cheek again, smiling. "You have a team, Jayden. You don't need another."

"_You_ have a team."

"No. They're yours. And I'm going to give them back to you."

"Lauren," he started.

She studied him for a minute before smiling. "Who is the head of Shiba House, Jayden?"

"You are. Lauren..."

"And who, exactly, has control over the Ranger team?"

"_Lauren._"

"They're your team; you lead them. I have spoken," she said, sharply enough that he snapped his mouth shut on whatever he'd been about to say.

RJ chuckled softly behind her, clapping her on the shoulder. "Casey would be proud."

"You're a stronger fighter," Jayden said doggedly. "The team would be better with you."

Lauren shook her head slightly, amused. He kept fighting even when he knew he'd lost; it made her more certain than ever that she was making the right choice. "My symbol power is stronger than yours. But your fighting skills are better than mine; I sacrificed fighting practise for the Seal, and you sacrificed power for fighting skills, to stay in the fight until I was ready. We can't use the Seal now, so this will come down to fighting. That's how our ancestors always did it, and it's the only chance we have now."

"Shame you can't team up somehow," RJ said lightly. "If only there was some way for him to use your power, Niece Lauren."

Lauren rolled her eyes at him. "That's a really annoying habit, Uncle RJ."

"What can I say, I'm a mentor in the traditional sense."

"He's right, though," Antonio pointed out, giving up on pretending he wasn't listening. "We use power disks all the time, and they're created with symbol power."

"They're very complicated to create," Jayden protested. "And they're very draining. We have enough trouble using them. Lauren, you can't..."

"I'll be careful," she promised. "We'll figure out a way for me to help you." She smiled, patting his knee as she stood.

"You need a hot drink," Antonio said abruptly. "Come in with me and I'll get you one. Come on." He hustled her away before Jayden could react.

RJ sat patiently until Jayden turned to look at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," RJ said easily.

"You don't know what I was thanking you for."

"You felt the need to thank me, I felt the need to respond."

Jayden smiled, ducking his head. "Thank you, for taking care of her. She's - I'm glad she wasn't lonely."

"My team had more to do with that than I did. Casey, Theo and Lily are all around her age. I made her spend time with them as well as practise. The other Masters live alone and isolated; she would have learned a lot, but there wouldn't have been much fun." He eyed Jayden. "I don't think you had much fun, either."

"I learned what I needed to." Jayden turned, looking up at the stars. "Casey's your Red. Theo was Blue? Didn't you have a White, too?"

"Dom. If you find a plastic snake in your bed, that's probably his influence."

"His or Mike's," Jayden agreed. "As long as it's not a spider."

RJ nodded thoughtfully. "You'll probably find some of my team dropping by, from time to time. Not now," he added at Jayden's look. "I mean afterwards. Dom travels the world with Fran anyway, so he'll just add this to his list of stops. But Casey, and the others - they'll visit."

"I hope they do. It'd be nice for Lauren." Jayden took a breath. "You've seen us fight, RJ..."

"Ah." RJ raised one finger. "_Uncle_ RJ."

"Uncle RJ," Jayden agreed. "And you've seen what we're fighting. Do you think we can do it?"

"Rangers always win."

"I'm not looking for platitudes."

"And I'm not giving them. Rangers always win, unless they give up. In twenty years, no Ranger team on Earth has fallen. This one won't be the first. Not if you're leading them." Jayden nodded slowly, and RJ added, "Unless you don't want to lead them."

"No, I'm - they're my team; mine to protect. I do want to. But Lauren worked so hard for this."

"She isn't giving you anything she doesn't want you to have. Trust me. Now," he added, in such a changed tone of voice that Jayden sat up in alarm. "What's this I hear about your Gold friend being a fisherman?"

* * *

Jayden was sitting on the table in the yard, strumming idly on his guitar, when the gate creaked open and two men strolled in, arguing loudly. He laid the guitar aside, watching in amusement as they made it all the way across the yard to directly in front of him before realising he was there.

"Hi!" the blond one said brightly. "We're looking for RJ, is he still here?"

"And you are?" Jayden said neutrally.

"Casey," the other one said. "And he's Dom. We're friends of his."

Jayden nodded, climbing off the table. "He's inside. I'll get him for you." He took a couple of steps, paused, and looked back. "Dom?"

"Yo."

"If my sister tries to put a rubber animal in my bed, you're going to regret it."

Casey looked unsure, but Dom just grinned. "Do you know how long it took me to get her to loosen up?"

Jayden smiled, gesturing them to wait and heading inside. Lauren and RJ were sparring in the dojo; RJ was blindfolded, but he was moving smoothly and easily, and Lauren was struggling to keep up.

Jayden caught her eye and motioned her to silence; slipping around the side of the fight, he picked up a _shinai_. His sense of fairness made him go back around to come from the same side as Lauren, rather than coming up behind RJ.

Not that it helped; both were disarmed and on the mat within about twenty seconds.

Casey clapped from the doorway, coming in to offer Lauren a hand up. "Bat technique," Dom said gleefully, hauling Jayden to his feet. "Never fails."

Jayden leaned towards Lauren. "Can you do that?"

"I can't do the flying bit, but I can fight blindfolded, yeah."

"Flying?" Jayden repeated, and then shook his head. "Never mind. RJ - Uncle RJ," he added hastily at RJ's look, gesturing to Casey and Dom.

"Casey, Dom, I'd like to introduce Jayden, leader of the Samurai Rangers," Lauren said formally. "Jayden, the Red and White Jungle Fury Rangers." Jayden bowed; Casey and Dom made Pai Zhua salutes.

Dom glanced around, grinning. "So, RJ, your niece is..." Casey stomped on his foot and he glowered, finishing "Safe."

"That's not what you were going to say," Casey muttered.

"It might have been! You don't know!"

"No, it wasn't, you were going to say rich." He winced, glancing apologetically at Lauren, who was smiling.

"How are the others?" she asked, drawing Jayden and RJ to the living room. Casey and Dom followed, settling on the stools and filling her in on what had been happening in Ocean Bluff and at the Pai Zhua academy.

After a while, RJ excused himself to get them something to eat. Dom cheerfully went with him, leaving Casey with Lauren and Jayden; the discussion turned to the fights they'd been in, comparisons of fighting techniques, and the weirdest, scariest, or strongest monsters they'd faced.

Eventually Lauren glanced at her watch and sighed. "I'd better go see what they've done to the kitchen. Mentor will be back tomorrow, after all."

Jayden smiled, watching her go, and then turned to Casey. "Really a pizza restaurant?"

"Really a pizza restaurant. She was good, too. The customers liked her."

Jayden bowed his head. "Thank you."

Casey nodded. "Our honour."

Dom came back, through the dojo this time. "This house is brilliant," he told Jayden, scooping up a ishinai/i and making a few practise moves with it. "Have you been here long?"

"It was rebuilt when I was five," Jayden told him. "But I've always lived here. I had to be visible for when the Nighlok rose, so they wouldn't have any reason to look for Lauren."

"It must have been tough, living in the mansion," Dom agreed solemnly. Casey caught the tip of Dom's _shinai_ and jerked, knocking him off balance; Dom rolled with it and was back on his feet a moment later, turning to take a tray from Lauren as she and RJ appeared.

"They're going to stay tonight," Lauren told Jayden, sitting next to him. "And tomorrow they're all going to head back to Ocean Bluff."

"You're welcome to stay," Jayden offered.

RJ shook his head. "JKP's been without me for a week, now. I should get back before Theo drives everyone crazy."

"I left Jarrod in charge at the Academy," Casey agreed. "If I don't get back there soon he'll have everyone fighting Lion style."

"And I also have a convincing excuse," Dom said solemnly.

Jayden smiled, offering him a glass. "Really. You're welcome here."

"Nah, I gotta pick Fran up in Sao Paulo. I'll be back, though, sometime."

"Any time." Glancing at RJ, he added, "Theo and Lily and anyone else you want, as well."

"Second," Lauren agreed. "Or else I'll bring Mike to JKP and he can eat you out of house and home for a change."

"Sounds dangerous," Casey said calmly. "We might have to bring the team in on that one."

"I should think so. Now eat up. It's the last special I'll be making for a while."

Jayden smiled as he watched his sister laugh and talk with her team, teasing Dom and Casey, chatting easily with RJ. They kept making inside jokes and referencing things he didn't understand, but that didn't matter; seeing her happy was enough.

"Stop moping over there, Jayden," Lauren said abruptly. "Dom's challenging you."

"A Samurai never fights just to fight," Jayden intoned, and then grinned. "But I'll make an exception. Let's go, Dom."

Casey picked up the _shinai_ Dom had been playing with earlier, passing it back to him. "Now, you know which end to hold, right?" he asked seriously.

"You're funny, Case," Dom agreed, whipping it back and forth a couple of times.

"Uncle RJ, referee?" Lauren asked, smiling as Jayden picked up his shinai with much less of a flourish.

"Anything for you, Niece Lauren," RJ said, waiting until they were facing each other. "Ranger versus Ranger, fighting for the honour of their respective teams. Ready? And...begin!"


End file.
